New Mexico Holiday
Yes, Virginia, there is fly fishing in New Mexico. It is hidden
among the arroyos and up in the mountains. Except for a few rivers, the
streams are small but the dry fly season can last most of the fishing
year. Many stone-fly hatches can light up New Mexico fly fishing.
New Mexico Vacation
The San Juan River is the slow flowing river.
Known as the home of the San Juan worm, there is excellent fly-fishing
and access. The Navajo State Park waters are set aside as a quality
fishing venue. Easy access from State Route 511 between Ignacio and
Blanco N.M. and easy wading make this an excellent spot for fly
fishermen whatever their skill level.
The Rio Grande is a finicky
river yielding brown trout and cutbows grudgingly, until a hatch comes
on then it can be fantastic. An early season caddis hatch covers the
water so heavily that it's impossible to pick out your fly. One can move
ahead of the hatch and fish a Green River caddis with a little Zink on
the fly and know they have a strike when they see the trout rollover
just underwater. Late in the season the Rio Grande comes into its glory.
Opportunities for casting stone flies, caddis, hoppers and duns abound.
Of
the streams the Cimarron offers good dry fly fishing all season but in
June the stone fly hatch is tremendous. Good access in the state park
makes reaching the river easy but the trout have good cover making
accurate casting a premium.
Rio Costilla Park offers easy access
to the Rio Costilla River where the Rio Grande Cut-throats are eager to
take a fly but are hard to land. Running through an alpine meadow makes
casting easy for the beginner and the numerous strikes holds their
attention. The nine mile catch and release, flies only opens July 1. For
those with four-wheel drive vehicles, a drive to the Latir lakes
affords float tubers a chance at some mountain lake action for rainbows
and Cut-throats. Try stripping a muddler minnow at 6 to 8 feet deep.
In
the above instances I mentioned what and when particular hatches might
occur, but if you are at these waters and the bugs aren't coming off, go
deep. Trout eat 90% of their diet underwater. Over a year's time a
nympher will catch at least twice the fish that someone with only dry
flies can. Ask any seasoned professional to pick two patterns he must
fish the rest of his life and one will be a nymph. Nymphing is a large
part of a successful effort in New Mexico fly fishing.
New Mexico Holiday